DIY Modular Synth: ADSR Envelope Generator

Not a lot to say about this module, really – it’s an ADSR envelope generator from this design by the legendary Yves Usson of Arturia MiniBrute fame. The original docs are really good, it works with +/-12V with no modification and there’s no trimming or setup involved. I built two at the same time ‘cos envelopes are dead useful.

I worked out a stripboard layout for this but if you’d rather have a PCB to work with, Soundtronics do a PCB and a full kit (and Yves gets paid for his efforts, which is great). Because of this commercial consideration, I’ve chosen to not publish my stripboard layout for this module as it potentially takes income away from the creator – suffice to say you at least know it’s do-able with a little effort!

I’ve started to add tiny stripboards to the potentiometers in my projects – it makes soldering the connections a lot easierThe board is mounted perpendicular to the panel with a couple of old Meccano brackets!

In this tune I use the Gate output from my Solina String Synth Module to trigger a slow ADSR envelope which shapes my Moog-style Filter (also designed by Yves Usson); the result is a classic, huge, rich, sweeping sound – really nice!

Build Documents

Yves makes all of his schematics and PCB designs available via his YuSynth website.

My panel design and cutting guide are available below as 600dpi PDF files. Note that I’ve not included holes for mounting hardware in the cutting guide as these can vary from system to system, depending on your mount/rails/bit of timber of choice. Note also that I use M4 PCB standoffs – you might want to cut the 4mm holes to a different diameter, depending on your standoff of choice.

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